Locomotion device



I Aug. 23, 1960 H. L. STEWART LOCOMOTION DEVICE Filed July 15, 1958 Unit States Patent LOCOMOTION DEVICE Hubert L. Stewart, 6566 W. 88th Place, Los Angeles, Calif.

Filed July 15, 1958, Ser. No. 748,657

1 Claim. (Cl. 28012.1)

My present invention relates to locomotion devices, and it relates particularly to a novel locomotion device which comprises an elongated, curved member upon which a person stands, locomotion being accomplished by a series of combined rocking and pivoting movements.

Heretofore, most conventional locomotion devices that were used as athletic devices, or were used for entertainment, for exercising, or as toys, were mounted on wheels to roll on the ground.

My present invention provides a broadly new mode of operation in locomotion devices. 'Ihus, instead of moving over the ground in a conventional manner, such as by rolling, my invention is rocked back and forth on an elongated, curved surface, being pivoted at the ends of the rocking movements, to move over the ground in a direction generally perpendicular to the longitudinal axis along which it rocks. This new mode of operation of my present invention, coupled with its simplicity and compactness, makes it ideal for use in competitive races and other althletic events, and also as an exercising device, and even merely for the entertainment of children or groups of people.

It is therefore an object of my present invention to provide a locomotion device which comprises an elongated, curved board or stick, the convex surface of which faces downwardly, to rock 'on the ground, the user of the device standing, with feet apart, on the concave side of: the device and progressing forwardly with a series of rocking and pivoting movements which are described hereinafter in detail.

Other objects and advantages of my present invention will be apparent from the following description and claim, the novelty of my invention consisting in the features of construction, the combination of parts, the novel relations of the members and the relative proportioning, disposition and operation thereof, all as is more completely described herein and as is more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of my present specification:

Figure 1 is a front elevation view of my present invention, with a person standing in the normal operative position thereon, and with the device in its central or neutral position on the ground.

Figure 2 is a view similar to Figure 1, but with my invention rocked over to the left side in the drawing (the right foot of the user being down).

Figure 3 is a schematic plan view illustrating the manner in which my present invention moves during forward progression.

Figure 4 is a perspective view illustrating the details of construction of my present invention.

Referring to my drawings, my present invention comprises an elongated board or stick 10, which may be composed of any desired material which is substantially rigid, a presently preferred material being wood. The board It) is provided with a substantial curve or are so that when its convex bottom surface 12 is placed on the ground, it may be rocked from end to end. Thus, in its operative position on the ground, the convex bottom surface 12 will engage the ground, while the concave top surface 14 will be upwardly directed.

Although the board 10 may be of any desired elongated shape, provided it has suflicient width to be stable when resting on the ground, I presently prefer to provide a board 10 which is rectangular in shape, having substantially parallel side edges 16 and 18, and ends 20 and 22.

I prefer to provide an abrasive coating 24 on the concave upper surface 14 of the board 10 to prevent the feet of the user from slipping during operation. Although this abrasive coating 24 may be painted on, it may be replaced by any equivalent means for preventing slipping, such as one or more rubber mats, or other means.

Referring now to Figure 1 of the drawings, I have there illustrated a child 26 mounted on the board 10 in the operative position, the child 26 facing out of the page, with his right and left feet 28 and 30, respectively, spaced substantially apart on the concave top surface 14. In Figure l the board 10 is in its central or neutral position, with the convex bottom surface 12 engaging the ground at a substantially central position between the ends 20 foot to which the weight is shifted, and then shift the raised foot and raised end of the board forward, thus pivoting the raised end of the board about the lowered end of the board. In this new position, the weight of the person is then shifted to the other foot, thus rocking the board 10 along most of its length until the formerly raised end is now the lower end about which the other end can be forwardly pivoted. This cycle of operation is then repeated to provide a forward progression of the board 10 along the ground.

In Figure 2 of the drawings I have illustrated the position of the board 10 and the user 26 when the weight of the person 26 is shifted to his right foot 28 so that the convex bottom surface 12 of board 10 near the end 2% under the right foot 28 engages the ground.

In Figure 3 of the drawings I have diagrammatically illustrated the forward progression of the board 10 along a path or walk 32 during its normal operation. In the illustration of Figure 3, the board is progressing downwardly on the page, its initial position being such that the right end 22 of the board is somewhat forward of the left end 20. In this position, the device is rocked to the right in Figure 3, so that the end 20 is raised and the end 22 is lowered, and then the board 10 is pivoted anticlockwise about a point near end 22 so that the end 20 moves forwardly to place the board 10 in a new position designated by numeral 34 in Figure 3. In this new position 34, the weight of the operator is then shifted so that the end 20 is lowered and the end 22 is raised, and then the board is shifted about a pivot point near the end 20, with the raised end 22 swinging forwardly, until the board It assumes the next position, designated by the numeral 36 in Figure 3. In this new position 36 the end 22 is then again lowered and the end 20 raised, by shifting of the weight of the operator, so that the board 10 can again be pivoted about a point near the end 22. This cycle is then repeated successively to move the board and the person mounted thereon any desired distance.

Although I have shown and described a forward movement of the board 10 in Figure 3, it will be understood that rearward movement may be similarly accomplished if desired.

It will be apparent from the following description of the operation of my invention that the direction of travel of the board 10 may be controlled by controlling the size of the are through which the respective ends of the board 10 swings. For example, if the operator desires to move along a path which curves downwardly and to the left in Figure 3, all that is necessary is to swing the end 22 of board 10 through a larger arc than the end 29. Conversely, if the operator desires to move in a path curving downwardly to the right in Figure 3, the end 20 of the board 10 will be swung through a larger arc than the end 22. Thus, the direction of travel of the board 10 can be easily controlled during the normal operation of the device.

I prefer to make the board 10 sufficiently long to accommodate persons of any size. The feet of a relatively tall person using the board 10 will normally be positioned relatively near to the ends 20 and 22 of board 10, while the feet of a relatively short person will be spaced closer together, somewhat inwardly from the ends 20 and 22. The operation of the board 10 will, of course, be the same regardless of the size of the person using the board 10, although each forward pivoting movement of the board 10 will tend to be shorter for a person whose feet are spaced relatively close together than for a person whose feet are spaced relatively wide apart.

Although the width of my board 10 between the edges 16 and 18 is not in any way critical, I prefer to have a sufficiently wide board so that the board 10 is stable during operation, without any tendency to roll forwardly or backwardly.

The broadly new mode of operationof my present invention, consisting of a combined rocking and pivoting action, makes my present invention highly useful as an athletic and exercising device. For example, two or more of my devices may be employed by two or more persons engaging in a competitive race, which is interesting and often humorous because of the unusual combination of movements involved in the operation of my invention. Also, my invention is useful as an exerciser device, providing a substantial amount of exercise for the operator during its normal operation. It is much more interesting in this regard than any rocking device that is used in a stationary position.

My present invention is also very entertaining to chil' dren, who enjoy merely operating the device.

It is to be understood that the form of my invention herein shown and described is my preferred embodiment and that various changes in the shape, size and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of my invention, or the scope of my. appended claim.

I claim:

A locomotion device consisting essentially of a single narrow, rigid, elongated member arcuately formed from end to end, an uninterrupted bottom surface on said member which is continuously convexly curved from one end of the member to the other, an uninterrupted top surface on said member which isparallel. to said bottom surface and is continuously concavely curved from one end of the member to the other, said member having a substantially uniform width between its side edges from one end of the member to the other, the outlines of said bottom and top surfaces when viewed in section taken in a direction from one side edge of said member to the other at right angles to the longitudinal axis of said meniber being straight lines, said member being employed by the user as a locomotion device by placing said bottom surface on the ground, the user standing with feet spaced apart on said top surface on opposite sides of the longitudinal center of said top surfaceand'facing at substantially right angles to the length of the device, whereby the user may progress over the ground by a series of combined rocking and pivoting movements.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,997,715 Breen Apr. 16, 1935 2,181,391 Burgeson et a1. Nov. 28, 1939 2,450,285 Lidberg Sept. 28, 1948 2,615,495 Hilliker Oct. 28, 1952 2,764,411 Washburn Sept. 25, 1956 2,826,423 Erickson a Mar. 11, 1958 FOREIGN PATENTS 828,703 France Feb. 21, 1938 OTHER REFERENCES How To Make It; Book of Crafts, by Spraque, pp. 172,173. 

